Music cuts currently are not on the list but potentially could be put back on as others advocate for things they think should be protected. It is important that supporters of district music programs CONTINUE to speak at the public forums and contact board members.

There are two upcoming public forums. Each should run about 2 hours or until all present have had an opportunity to speak. 

• Thursday, April 22nd, starting at 6:30pm, Multipurpose Room, Ames High School
• Saturday, April 24th, starting at 9:00am, Auditorium, Ames High School

There will be one more board budget work session at 7pm on April 26 in Conference Room B, Crawford School Building.

The current plan is for the final budget to be approved by the board at its May 3 meeting, 6:30pm, Multipurpose Room, Ames High School.

Continue to exercise your voice. Make yourself heard!

Three developments worth noting:

1. There's a school board meeting tonight, including opportunities for the public to speak about budget cuts and other issues. The meeting will begin at 6:30pm in the Multipurpose Room, Ames High School, 1921 Ames High Drive. Here's the agenda.
2. There's also a benefit concert tonight for the Ames district music programs, organized by Ames alumnus Lavonne McRoberts. Doors open at 5:00pm for the Save the Music Awareness Concert, held at Zeke's, 2239 Lincoln Way. A $10 donation is suggested.
3. Middle school band and high school orchestra have been put back on the list of potential cuts. Eliminations of 1 full-time-equivalent (FTE) middle school band instructor and 0.25 FTE high school orchestra instructor have been proposed.[UPDATE: It appears that this item was a false concern? It was going around via e-mail but hasn't shown up on any budget cut lists of late. Thanks, everyone, who contacted us about this one. This is good news!]

These are our notes from tonight's school board budget work session

There's a school board work session tonight at 7pm, Crawford, Conference Room B. We can't give public input but it would be good if some of us could attend.

• Agenda
• Directions to Crawford

[please read and respond; please also forward to all supporters of Ames school district music]

WE NEED ANOTHER MESSAGE FROM YOU.

Here's where we stand as of April 11:

• Board members let us know that we were heard 'loud and clear' and that they were getting deluged with messages.
• Since we made our voices heard, the board moved the proposed cuts to elementary and middle school music programs from probable to 'no support for cut at this time.'
• We laid off the messages to the board, assured that they heard the concerns of the community.

Now we understand that some board members may be wavering, that the proposed cuts to music programs may be put back on the table. So it's time to make ourselves heard one more time...

Here are the e-mail addresses you need:
     paulsodders@msn.com, mkjurenka@yahoo.com, hascall@gmail.com,
     david.putz@gmail.com, mailtalbot@gmail.com, fwtodey@yahoo.com,
     danwoodin@gmail.com, ttaylor@ames.k12.ia.us,
     karen.shimp@ames.k12.ia.us
 
Please send a strong THANK YOU to the board, one that both expresses your appreciation for preserving the district music programs AND reminds them that we're still out here, that we haven't lost our concern but rather have left board members alone since they said they heard us. We are here for the long haul - this year, next year, anytime the district tries to cut essential academic programs.

We need you to do this TODAY. Thank you.

As a parent who has gone to bat many times for the arts (you were all in grade school the last time these cuts were on the chopping block) I will share this insight: the board will not listen if you don't have sound solutions to cuts in other areas, BUT hearing from students makes much more of an impact than parents! Alumni--if you have a passion for the arts, please take time to contact the board members and share your stories. I can also tell you that giving them statistics on how the arts impact overall education (i.e. raising test scores in math/reading) is a hot button. Music programs were cut in CA the last two decades and they are now bringing them back because of the devastation that it had on their education system. 
- Heather Botine

Here are some of the questions that the community is asking about the proposed cuts to the district's music programs (and elsewhere):

1. The district has a stated goal of improving reading performance. The impacts of instrumental music participation on reading scores are well-proven by research. Also, Ames is trying to attract innovative, creative, talented individuals and companies - the ones that will grow our local economy but who are going to be more attracted to areas that are NOT cutting the creative arts. For both issues - impacts on reading outcomes and the attractiveness of our schools and community to potential newcomers - isn't it extremely unwise to be cutting our music programs? Aren't we shooting ourselves in the foot if we do this?

2. The percentage of Ames students that are involved in the district music programs is substantial. Shouldn't the board's goal be to make cuts that are as minimally impactful on students and families as possible? Shouldn't the district be proposing cuts in areas that impact fewer students?

3. Why are the cuts falling so disproportionately on music?

4. If the district cuts its music programs, the students and families that will be hurt the most will be those of lower socieconomic status (SES). Those students also are the ones that typically need the most help with reading (again, note the proven link between instrumental music participation and reading outcomes). Why isn't the district more concerned about the negative impacts on economically-disadvantaged families that inevitably will occur if these cuts are made?

5. There are a number of courses at the high school that are known to be "jokes." Academic rigor is lacking and nothing really occurs in the classes. Students and parents can identify these courses quite readily and recognize them as a complete waste of time; they have been complaining to administrators about them for years. There are other instructional inefficiencies as well (like perhaps study hall?). Shouldn't the district be focusing on instructional efficiency and effectiveness - and getting rid of these courses and/or teachers - before eliminating the music programs that are widely considered to be successful and an asset to the district's instructional offerings?

6. The district has a number of different tax / bond / levy options available to it, including management, bonds / debt services, playground, and instructional support. Can some or all of these be used to move costs around and/or offset budget cuts?

7. In other professions, workers are taking pay cuts rather than lose jobs. Why aren't Ames teachers taking an across-the-board cut to offset the elimination of jobs and essential district programs? We know that Ames teachers' pay isn't exceptionally high but shouldn't they be sharing the pain too? Why isn't the union doing more?

8. Can we get some information (and perhaps a version of the district budget) that we actually can understand - one that helps us understand the choices that are or are not available so that we can intelligently offer feedback about desired priorities? It's difficult to know what's on the table and what isn't (or can't be) and why. A number of different suggestions have been made for the board that aren't actually viable options because the law and/or other restrictions won't allow it. We would like more information about the range of choices that are possible. Could the board present the community with a variety of choices, maybe as a list we'd rank and/or a series of forced choices (would you rather have elementary music or larger class sizes in the high school?, would you rather have middle school band or full day kindergarten?, etc.)?

The National Governors Association has recognized the importance of the creative sector to their state's economy and ability to compete in the global marketplace.

Governors and their staff confront a global economy that is increasingly competitive and in which the United States is no longer assured of a dominant position. Countries such as China, Korea, and Ireland are outpacing the United States in key indicators such as economic growth, new product innovation, broadband penetration, and educational attainment among younger generations. As this gap widens, states recognize that a competitive edge and a creative edge go hand-in-hand to support economic prosperity. 

In today’s economy:

• Creative and new media industries are growing in number and playing increasingly prominent economic and social roles;
• The market value of products is increasingly determined by a product’s uniqueness, performance, and aesthetic appeal, making creativity a critical competitive advantage to a wide array of industries;
• The most desirable high-wage jobs require employees with creativity and higher order problem solving and communications skills; and
• Business location decisions are influenced by factors such as the ready availability of a creative workforce and the quality of life available to employees.

- Mary Shao

I'm currently enrolled in Ames Middle School and participate in band. I plan to for the rest of my education. A reason that I think Ames needs to keep band is so that students can express themselves. There's a person that I see every day in English and Social Studies classes. They don't try hard, in fact, he/she is usually not even awake for the most part of it. Then, later in the day, I see them at band. They're a completely different person. I see the fire in their eyes when they complete a hard piece perfectly. I've even heard them in the practice rooms just playing their heart out. I'm sure that there are other kids like this too. Please help save the program because for some kids, this is the only future they have.
- Anonymous Student

[Keep sending in your letters to the editor. They make a difference!]

What Ames has is unique (Ames Tribune, 3/27/2010)

An article in the Sunday Register (3/21/2010) tells us that children who sing or play music actually grow a more dense corpus callosum in the brain. The corpus callosum is responsible for transmitting messages from the left brain to the right brain and vice versa. In one experiment, children who had voice training and keyboard training actually gained three IQ points where as children who listened to music or had drama lessons did not gain any IQ points. You may say that three points are not enough but as the neurologist said, it creates the avenue for broader gain.

When my (now grown) children were in the Ames Schools (1972 to 1988, all 5 of them) there was a small amount of music on the elementary level and very little as they progressed. The orchestras were awful. The kids had to find competitions and make all the applications, yet any prizes went to the school’s credit.

What we have now is unique. We have a middle school orchestra so large that the kids have to audition. We have 5 harpists between middle and high school. Earlier this spring, we heard and watched a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance that was super. I am sure that we have smarter kids because of all this hands on music.

I hope that the Ames School Board will be creative. Please do not demote us to mediocrity.

- Marion Lorr